How To Set and Sell Owner Marketing Appointments – PART 8

TRANSCRIPT: As I said, you’re going to get voicemail 900 times. So, if you’re going to leave 800 to 900 voicemails next month, you need to understand what the voicemails should sound like. There are four rules of voicemail that I need you to understand.

Rule # 1 is you have got to keep them short and sweet. Fifteen to thirty seconds and that’s it. If I’m an owner of a vehicle I bought at your dealership, and you leave me a two minute voicemail telling me all the great things about your dealership and about you, and about why I should come by and buy another vehicle, we’re breaking up. We really are. I can’t listen to a two minute voicemail. I can’t listen to a two minute voicemail from someone I like, let alone from a salesperson I haven’t seen in two years. Keep them short and sweet – fifteen to thirty seconds each.

Rule # 2 is to have a clear call to action in your voicemail. The only call to action that is approved is, “Call me back at…”That’s the only call to action that you can leave. “Call me back at…” Don’t tell them, “I’m here till 9:00”. Don’t say, “Be sure and ask for me”. Don’t say, “Come on in”, because they become a traditional Up. You need them to call you back so you can schedule an appointment.

You need to highlight your persistence on every voicemail you leave. This is the third rule. What I mean by highlight your persistence is that you need to say something at the end of your voicemail that sounds like this: “and don’t worry, Mr. Jones, if you can’t get back to me. I’m going to try you again later.” Let’s say we called him on Monday and we said we had a buyer and an immediate need for his Cherokee. He got that voicemail and at the end of that voicemail we said, “And, don’t worry if you can’t get back to me. I’m going to try you again later.” Sure enough on Tuesday his phone rings again. He sees its you and he lets it go to voicemail. You leave another message and end it with, “and don’t worry if you can’t get back to me. I’ll try you again later.” By Wednesday, he is going to take your call because he sees you’re going to be persistent. He may or may not be interested in selling his Jeep, but he’s going to take your call. That’s the goal of our voicemail: to drive a phone call. Now, remember, our goal once we get someone on the phone is an appointment that shows.

The fourth rule of voicemails is this: always leave a message. Some of you think, “Well, Steve, I don’t like to leave a message every time ‘cause it looks like I’m stalking”. Everyone has Caller ID. When you don’t leave a message, you let the customer off the hook AND you look like you’re stalking. When you leave a message, it sets up your next call especially when you are highlighting your persistence on every call.